Health
Colombian beauty queen breaks internet with controversial abortion opinion
“Let’s not let the fight for women’s rights tarnish our reasoning or our humanity,” she said
February 22, 2022 6:54pm
Updated: February 23, 2022 9:23am
Taliana Vargas, who was crowned Miss Colombia 2007 and placed 1st Runner-Up at Miss Universe 2008, sparked an online controversy on Monday when she published a video to social media opposing the Colombian Supreme Court’s decision to legalize abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation.
The actress and mother of two posted pictures in which she appeared pregnant and wrote, “24 weeks pregnant. Six months with a baby inside me.”
“Let’s not let the fight for women’s rights tarnish our reasoning or our humanity,” she added in a message to her 3 million followers.
The former beauty queen posted the video shortly after Colombia’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the decriminalization of abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation – although it did not eliminate crime from the Penal Code. Now, the three grounds for abortion remain: fetal malformation, sexual abuse of the woman and danger to the mother’s health.
But Vargas’ video quickly went viral and since being posted has already received 150,000 reactions and more than 9,000 comments. Similarly, her name is now trending on Twitter and has been tweeted 11,800 times.
Although many users were quick to criticize the Court’s ruling, others celebrated the move as a progressive step forward and attacked Vargas for promoting a “selfish” message – emphasizing the economic “privileges” she has enjoyed.
Camila Esguerra from the musical group Ventino posted a message to Vargas which read, “I wish all motherhoods were desired like yours. Unfortunately, that is not the case for many women in our country who do not have the privileges that you and I have.”
Journalist and former adult content actress Amaranta Hank similarly reminded the model that "women who have died from clandestine procedures were not born with your comforts. It is not the same to cry for not having enough money for a diaper and milk, than to go to the USA to buy them clothes every summer".
President Iván Duque, questioned the Court’s decision on Tuesday and alleged that the Judicial authority broke with constitutional precedent.
"I think that here the principle of constitutional res judicata is being broken, because the Court had already ruled on that matter, quite some time ago, around 2006," the head of state told Semana when stating his position on the decision made by the high court.
